looking for a simple meal of something good to eat

 the Edmund Pettus bridge

still standing in its' dress of steel

with memories and nothing more to prove

it's vibrant and oh, so real

with streets full of people marching

holding their signs and their life breath

fighting to stay alive

in the face of unnecessary death

holding hopeful heads up high

wondering all the time why

it has come to this

inside a nursing home without a lover's kiss:

and where is the tall ship of state

willing to serve a hot dinner plate

to a hungry man falling down on his hard luck?

one who wants to work for an honest, hard-earned buck

with no interest in a gilded chair or a first class airplane seat

just looking for a simple meal of something good to eat

far from the confusing shouts coming from far down the street

when the air was cold and there were dark clouds of an impending storm

he was asking for a silent smile and a heart full of kindness and warm,

though his boots were tired and his pants and shirt were torn.